Matlacha Ice Cream Shop

It's amazing how many photos I have of yellow cottages and buildings. This little place is in Matlacha, Florida a teeny town between Cape Coral and Pine Island. All of the little shops along the main road are painted bright colors. I love it.

This morning I went on an Orchid Tour at Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge out in the Everglades. The Guide who led the tour is a wildlife biologist and photographer who also works at the Naples Zoo. He knows everything about the flora and fauna and it was a fabulous trek through the swamp, which is very dry at the moment. Afterward they gave us a nice lunch of hot dogs, chips and a soft drink while we listened to another guide talk about the work they're doing to save the panthers. A single male panther needs about 200 square miles of habitat. The whole tour was fascinating and it is free. You just have to sign up ahead of time. If you're a Florida voter they need your support. 

Can you see the gator?

Sea Star Gallery, Matlacha 5x7

I finally finished it. I tried to leave the composition loose yet complete to the viewer's eyes. You'd think that after all the time I've spent around palm trees, they'd be second nature by now. Not. This one gave me fits. I need to paint them more often is all. I'm going to reward myself for my diligence today with a trip to the Dollar Tree ::big smile:::: Again, I thank these people for their fabulous color scheme.

Back to Painting

Last night I worked on this Matlacha (Mat-la-shay) piece. I'm focusing on keeping it very painterly and loose. I love that these folks gave me such a hot color scheme to work with. This is stage two and I won't be able to get back to it until tomorrow. I'm living my last few weeks of Florida Retiree lifestyle before heading North. My latest adventure with our grandsons is over on Not Really a Cleaning Lady. I also read and would like to share this title with you. The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle. I compare this book to Old Yeller and The Red Pony. It was with me for days.